Subtleties of business communication

When it comes to working in a team, such a thing as business communication arises by itself. In order to be able to properly build relationships in a working environment and avoid common mistakes, it will never be overknowing to understand the subtleties of business communication, long collected by experts in simple rules of etiquette, psychological aspects, forms and popular communication techniques.

The essence of business communication is characterized by the process of development of official relations between employees in any organization. Since at work, each person has a certain official status and functions, he is focused on achieving goals in common with his colleagues.

One of the main features of communication in a business environment is compliance with the established rules, norms and restrictions that arise as a result of the principles of professional ethics, as well as cultural and national traditions.

As you know, in the social environment there are many “written” and “unwritten” behavioral norms, a kind of “code” that is generally accepted. In aggregate, all these rules got the name of business etiquette, the essence of which is to support those rules that will help people to understand each other better.

Business communication is a whole art that you always need to learn in order to achieve success in the professional field and advance your career. It is important to know about what is the basis of diplomatic communication with colleagues in an official manner, how to negotiate, how to behave with your superiors.

The main task of business communication is to optimize and streamline any activity as much as possible: for example, improving the situation in industry, science, business, and the social sphere. At the same time, everyone who becomes a participant in business negotiations along the way learns situationally to perform several tasks:

• strengthen partnerships, to the extent possible, avoiding or minimizing the possibility of disagreement between the parties;
• to develop towards solid and harmonious interaction with others;
• take care of the proper distribution of orders, tasks, areas or spheres of influence;
• ensure that there is trust and mutual understanding between the participants;
• comply with the behavioral standards that are adopted in the business environment.

In the process of business communication, it is necessary that a person has several qualities that will help him to be useful in teamwork. First of all, tactics should be aimed at convincingly and convincingly the interlocutor in their position, while maintaining their reasoning and perseverance. It is also important to be able to rationally obey the interests of the collective as a whole, adhering to internal regulations, including working schedule and social standards.

Often the most difficult task is equal communication with all parties of business relations, regardless of what personal preferences a person has. In addition, it is not easy during general meetings to separate and analyze important information from the secondary, especially if the employee does not yet have enough experience in conducting business conversations or negotiations.

Of course, the leadership of an organization or company should also adhere to a certain framework and ethical principles, meeting employees when it may become necessary to speed up the achievement of the set goal. For example, a compliment or praise for difficult negotiations can be a serious motivation for success.

All these skills are not always given to people simply and easily, and a good leader will always cherish those of them who have mastered the communication skills necessary to achieve goals and in practice apply their methods in the business sphere. It is always important to remember that if there is a common goal, it’s unlikely to avoid controversyBut they are sometimes a good incentive to overcome all possible barriers and personal growth of each participant in the process.

The concept of business etiquette includes two sections of the rules:

• rules that must be observed in communication between people who are equal in status to each other;
• those rules that define the essence of the relationship between employees and their leader ("horizontal" and "vertical" rules).

Etiquette also implies attention to one's speech, to the content of speech constructions, thanks to which steady forms of greetings, expressions of gratitude, and requests are created. If a person assumes such responsibility as the management of a company or a separate segment of its activities, correct and polite communication will always be its advantage.

Any business communication, regardless of its form and duration, is divided into certain stages that, if desired, can be separated from the course of each event, whether it is an employee’s private conversation with a subordinate or negotiations involving several interested parties:

• the moment of acquaintance (or just making contact - including, and greeting the head). The contact can be both primary and secondary, depending on whether the partners see each other for the first time or communicate not for the first time;
• assessment of the surrounding situation and what is happening in general;
• the inclusion in the discussion of the subject of the negotiations;
• Resolving an issue or problem (as far as possible);
• the final part - farewell, exit from communication.

Specialists studying the nature and practical benefits of communication skills identified four fundamental principles by which all aspects of business interaction are regulated.

First of all, business communication should be interpersonal, aimed at multitasking and multidimensionality of human interaction. Whatever the case, one should not exclude the interpersonal aspect from it, even if people have to put the interests of the collective above their personal ambitions.

Business interaction must be focused, with a conscious movement towards a clearly defined goal. In this aspect, the work of the subconscious of each person should be taken into account: goals can be both conscious and unconscious (implicit).For example, a speaker who has prepared a speech on a topic of a problem objectively tells the audience about it, but unconsciously and spontaneously demonstrates to the audience his temperament, intellectual and rhetorical abilities.

Business communication should be continuous.. If business partners are constantly in sight of each other, this will encourage continuous development of the process. At the same time, the communication process implies the presence of not only verbal elements, but also non-verbal ones. Using non-verbal messages in communication, a person attaches them to one or another semantic meaning and coloring with subsequent conclusions.

Even if a business partner at the moment doesn’t say anything or is out of place, all this, nevertheless, participates in the communicative act and has the same indisputable significance as a conversation.

Behavioral aspects without the presence of components of conversational speech in them are no less important: they set the tone for responding to other participants in the process and to the whole situation.

Business communication is always multidimensional, because in its process there is a constant exchange of information between the participants along with the regulation of relationships. Multidimensionality implies, first of all, the manner in which this or that information or request is communicated: warm, friendly, cold, accommodating, incredulous, arrogant, tactful or, on the contrary, tactless.

Considering that employees of many companies have to work in close cooperation with foreign partners, it is also important to know what specific features of business communication can be in contact with the mentality of representatives from other countries.

There are two different opinions on this issue. The first version is inclined to believe that the modern world and the prevalence of European business etiquette (including English as an international language) in it have almost blurred national boundaries and led to the formation of ethical standards common to representatives of all ethnic groups. In addition, over the past few decades, international cooperation has actively developed in various fields of human activity. An intensive scientific and cultural exchange took place, which significantly accelerated all processes.

At the present stage, the representative of China or Japan, who was educated in the UK or America, will perfectly perceive the mentality of the British or Americans, and the manner of their business communication does not seem incomprehensible or specific to them.

The second opinion, on the contrary, focuses on national aspects and puts them at the center of international contacts, especially in the negotiation process, which is fundamental in communication. Proponents of the second version believe that most of the difficulties in the negotiations are due to cultural differences. They have a decisive influence on people, being learned from their early years during their upbringing. In addition, as international ties develop in business, people who have no business experience in European and American manners are involved in it, which brings a fair amount of national aspects into the overall picture.

Researchers claim that if the interests of the parties consisting of representatives of different nationalities coincide, the differences in ethnic criteria are not so noticeable. However, in the event of a dispute or conflict, everything immediately comes to the surface and still has to be considered the role of ethnic moments.Therefore, it is necessary to make a brief description of the main national characteristics, which will reflect the characteristic of people from different countries in business communication.

The description will include those features of the mentality that are most common and likely. This can help, at least in part, in the possible behaviors of business partners.

Americans are people who always emphasize their individuality. Human rights for them is the most important thing that motivates them to treat others with respect. They always insist on equality, independence, always advocate open and honest business management and do not like any kind of formality. In communication, they are very simple, their clothes, even in a business context, are comfortable and lack of stiffness.

They are characterized by the spirit of competition and the achievement of results, and they measure success by the amount of money earned. Despite the fact that Americans are alien to pettiness and pedantry, they are punctual and used to live according to a schedule.

The French nation is distinguished by its originality due to the fact that it originated a very long time ago.. It is known that France is one of the countries that are distinguished by a wealth of historical and cultural heritage. Representatives of this nation are distinguished by gallantry and sharpness, but at the same time they are characterized by cunning and skepticism. The French are often eloquent, do not like silence, but always speak freely, naturally and very quickly.

In business communication in France itself, personal acquaintances and family ties are highly valued. They are very subtle and elegantly able to defend their point of view, but at the same time they are distinguished by rather rigid negotiations, they rarely make compromises and “spare” options.

The British have traditionally inherent restraint, a tendency to hints and a certain amount of scrupulousness.which often leads to isolation and distrust when dealing with strangers. At the same time, they are businesslike and enterprising, value accuracy and are punctual to the smallest detail, which is a hard and fast rule for them.

The Germans are hardworking, also punctual and very prudent. They are sometimes characterized by excessive pedantry and even stinginess. They are prudent and always strive to order in all areas of their lives, which they used to paint literally by the hour.

Any Arab country sensitively observes the traditions of local order., and this must be especially taken into account when dealing with representatives of the Arab world. Traditions for Arabs are in the first place, and their behavioral standards are quite tough, especially in the business sphere. The representatives of the Muslim world always often accompany the first acquaintance with cordiality and courtesy, in the future this may be an occasion to establish trust and openness between partners.

It is believed that gender and cultural aspects are most characteristic and specific to representatives of the Arab world, but this is not entirely true. In the conditions of the European mentality in many areas of business, women are gradually beginning to acquire a certain degree of freedom and independence.

Italians are hot, expansive, very sociable, sometimes even overly. In order to establish productive business relations with them, official correspondence with a list of proposals will be sufficient.

For representatives of Spain is characterized by seriousness and at the same time, openness and humanity. Their valuable trait is a wonderful sense of humor and the ability to work in a team spirit. Sometimes they may be late for business meetings, which sometimes becomes an occasion for jokes and jokes.

They like to talk, but it’s not worthwhile to talk about the civil war, bullfighting, personal issues and the period of power of General Franco in conversations with them.

Swedes are famous for punctuality, accuracy in all, decency and reliability in partnership. Swedish business partners have a very high degree of qualification, and for this reason they respect the professionalism of others.

They know several languages ​​(usually German and English), they are very restrained in communication, but if warm relations are established between partners, they can be continued in an informal setting.

In Russia, two aspects strongly influenced the peculiarities of business communication: standards of the Soviet period and features characteristic of the national character of the Russian people. One can even be proud of our specialists, who were born and raised under the USSR: the methods of conducting business conversations were highly appreciated by many foreigners in their time, while the promise was in the first place.

However, foreign experts and criticized the former representatives of the Soviet state for the fact that they are well denoting a given goal, not so much emphasis on how to achieve it.

There are general rules and regulations that should be followed when working in an office environment or in the public sector. You should always come to the workplace on time, execute all orders in a timely manner, and delays and non-performance of work on time are unacceptable. If it is not timely to come to business meetings, this can ruin not only the personal reputation of the employee, but also the image of the organization or the company as a whole.

When working in the office or in the civil service, of course, it is important to dress decently and in accordance with the requirements adopted in the institution. The appearance of employees must reflect the reputation of the institution, therefore, ethical standards must be observed in this. For women, it is allowed to wear skirts strictly to the knee or trouser suits that have a classic cut. Bright defiant clothing is unacceptable, as well as an abundance of shiny jewelry, rhinestones, sparkles and tight-fitting things.

For men, it would be best to wear strict suits with shirts. The presence of a tie can be either mandatory or desirable, depending on the status of the institution and the environment in which business partners meet.

There are six basic rules that determine the essence of what is commonly called business etiquette:

• work should always be done on time;
• not to disclose professional secrets of the organization, including those related to the personal lives of employees;
• you should always show friendliness and attention to colleagues (this applies to all - both managers and their subordinates);
• respect others' opinions, criticism and advice from others if they express doubts about the quality of work;
• always comply with the dress code adopted by the institution;
• always keep speech control during a conversation, to prevent the appearance of indecent expressions in speech and writing.

Many people know that communication at any level is not just words or writing. Facial expressions and gestures play an equally important role here; moreover, it is often with their help that one can make an exact definition of what the partner wants and how he really relates to other people. Some psychologists say it is an advantage in non-verbal communication communication, putting it in the first place, because it conveys much more information than a normal conversation.

Facial expressions and gestures are due to subconscious impulses, so people often do not pay special attention to them. At first, it may seem difficult to learn a non-verbal language, but this is not the case. A few elementary skills will be enough to achieve more effective interpersonal interaction and learn to understand people more correctly.

It is best to start this practice with a visual assessment of the interlocutor: how he holds himself, what position he is standing or sitting in, how intense his gestures are. There are several universal gestures that are easy to recognize. Simple examples: if the smile is wide and unconstrained, the person is happy, and if the person shrugs, he expresses his bewilderment or misunderstanding of the situation.

Consider such a popular gesture as a handshake - an action taken in the business environment everywhere. It is possible to recognize what it carries in itself by the following signs: in the case of a short hand shake, we can conclude that the interlocutor is indifferent.

If the hand is dry, the person is calm, if wet - very worried. Much depends on the nature of the gaze when shaking hands: an open and warm gaze means a sincere and friendly location of the partner, and if the eyes “run” or the interlocutor avoids meeting with others, there is reason to suspect him of insincerity or fear.

If, during a greeting, the hand of one person is grabbed by the other with the palm down, this means that a shaking hand (most often unconsciously) demonstrates a desire for dominance in communication. If the hand is stretched palm up, it means the desire to transfer the "palm of leadership" to another.

There are so-called "open gestures", the recognition of which is also not difficult. They say that the other person is sincere and determined to speak frankly. The gesture of “open arms” looks like this: the partner stretches his arms toward the other person, with the palms facing upwards. The equally popular gesture of an “unbuttoned jacket” means the same thing.

Often it is necessary to observe how during negotiations held in a cafe or restaurant, participants take off their jackets in the presence of each other. The same picture is observed in offices in the event that negotiations proceed successfully and the parties are more and more disposed towards each other.

Gestures that show distrust or the desire to hide something are characterized by such movements as the mechanical rubbing of the forehead, chin or temples: thus a person spontaneously wants to cover his face. Also, the "shifty" eyes, which have already been mentioned above, are a typical sign of insincerity. Even if the interlocutor tactfully and imperceptibly tries not to look into the eyes, it means the same thing.

Defensive gestures and poses indicate that the partner is afraid of something. In such cases, the hands are usually mechanically crossed on the chest, and if the fingers are also clenched into a fist, the situation for the partner is obviously tense and if not relieve the tension between the interlocutors, the conflict may become inevitable.

Pondering and evaluating gestures indicate the confusion and desire of a person as soon as possible to find the right solution to the problem. If the partner’s hand involuntarily stiffens at his cheek, he is clearly interested in what is happening and is worried about something: this is a sign of concentration and attentive listening. In this case, you should begin to work out possible ways to resolve the issue in order to come to an agreement on the most successful wave.

Also, if any of the participants in the negotiations starts to pinch their nose, it means the same thing - deep concentration. The stage at which people begin to form a way out of this situation may be characterized by scratching the chin (the eyes are most often narrowed at the same time).

If the interlocutor is no longer willing to take part in the conversation and seeks to end it, he begins to lower his eyelids either as a sign that the conversation does not interest him anymore. Scratching an ear means striving to move away from the subject of the conversation, and if someone of the partners begins to slightly light the earlobe, he clearly wants to take an active part in the conversation and express his point of view.

If the interlocutor tells a lie, he automatically covers his mouth, ears or eyes. Sometimes a lie is characterized by intense and quiet coughing in order to divert the attention of others from this gesture. The fact that the partner is lying can also mean a light touch to the nose during the conversation, and if a person rubs his eyelid, he will show a desire to move away from suspicion of lying.

In any form of verbal communication, skills in the field of rhetoric and the proper construction of oral speech come out in the first place. Specialists have identified five main methods with which you can effectively influence the public by verbal means:

• speech should be accessible - when preparing a public speech, it is important to consider the level of education and culture of the audience in front of which to speak;
• speech should be associative and cause the audience empathy and a sense of involvement in the process, to stimulate listeners to their own thoughts;
• the speech must be sensory - it is important to use drawings, graphic images, simple tables and diagrams during a presentation, for clarity;
• speech must be expressive, with a sufficient level of emotionality, gestures and facial expressions, which have the ability to enhance the perception of speech;
• the speech must be intense - during a conversation it is important to be able to adapt to the pace of the audience and correspond to its level of preparation.

In addition to the main points, it is important to take into account the fact that any forms of instructive and arrogant tone in the business sphere are not welcome. It is important to win over the interlocutors, making them understand that the conversation is on an equal footing.

The verbal art of business communication is also based on the creation of optimal speech constructs, good voice and rich vocabulary. Speech turns should not be difficult, it is not necessary to overload the speech grammatically. It is better to use short sentences consisting of eight, with a maximum of fifteen words.: it will also position the audience, and the meaning of what has been said will be conveyed clearly and clearly.

Voice pitch should be expressive, loud, but not “screaming”: you must comply with the measure - so that it is expressive, and exciting, and pleasant to the ear at the same time.

The methods of business communication are different, but not all of them, unfortunately, are correct, ethical and honest. All of them are aimed at achieving their own, and in business they have to deal with very often. There are techniques that are permitted by professional ethics, and there are ways that it is not recommended to use in order to preserve both the company's reputation and its own personality.

Delay - One of the neutral techniques that can be used by any party to get time to think about the final decision.

Scare method with the use of secondary sources "dirty", but very famous. Example: one person tries to intimidate another with threats to spread false information and rumors involving the media. When this happens, it is better to immediately terminate any cooperation with such people.

Such a technique is known as bluff. He is also not entirely honest, but more decent, and with his help, many achieve results. This is one type of manipulation. The technology is that one of the partners performs with a categorical attack: “I do not see any more sense to continue our negotiations”. In the case when his opponent wants to make a deal, having taken these words seriously, he can surrender and begin to yield to the manipulator in one way or another on the deal.

The method of "surrender of authority" The fact is that one of the partners can say: “I have no right to make this decision myself, I need to confer.” As a rule, it is very effective, because the second side gives the impression of a certain “strong structure” that stands behind the interlocutor, and the second side automatically begins to position itself a few steps lower.

Threats - surely this is the “last thing”, and they are used only if one of the parties does not know how to build other relations with partners. However, they can also be an indication that the opponent is very interested in conducting the transaction. When threats come into play, it is important to remain calm and rational. If possible, you need to convince your opponent that common goals can be achieved without the use of such a crude method.

Positions in business communication do not fundamentally differ from domestic. They are as follows:

• Friendly - indicates acceptance of the interlocutor, full location to him.
• Neutral - the interlocutor may demonstrate restraint or even coldness, which is quite acceptable in the early stages of communication. It is important to prove to the partner the sincerity and honesty of his intentions in order to achieve his benevolence.
• Hostile position - open rejection of a partner or interlocutor. You can try to persuade him to take at least a neutral side in the beginning.
• Superiority position - a partner openly demonstrates his dominance, looks down on others.
• Seeing each other as equals - one of the most optimal positions.
• Submission position - when any of the parties may intentionally curry favor with the other in order to achieve its location in this way.

Not a single communication, including business communications, is possible without conflict situations. Ideally, a business relationship is a type of communication in which the emotional plan should be in the last place, and rationality, prudence, the degree of profit, possible profit and effectiveness of certain people in performing certain types of tasks focused on achieving the main goal.

Experts in the field of conflict management identified several solutions that can be applied to the solution of any conflict situation:

• way of domination - one of the parties resolves the conflict, but more in its own favor, often resorting to unethical methods of conducting business;
• capitulation - one side surrenders under pressure from the other and makes concessions in all respects. In some situations it happens that there is no other way out, but this is an undesirable way to solve problems;
• avoiding conflict - Conscious removal from the situation of one of the parties, which is no longer set to continue further communication, since it does not see constructive solutions to the problem;
• conversation - an excellent opportunity to resolve the conflict, in the process of which the parties are trying to meet each other, offering possible and realistic solutions to the difficult situation that has arisen;
• arbitrator method - intervention of a third party is allowed in the situation, which is not directly related to the conflict and is not an interested person. However, a person or group of people from the outside takes all possible efforts to ensure that the conflict is resolved.

The best outcome of any conflict situation is integration, when both parties jointly find a solution that takes into account mutual interests and desires. Integration (or psychological interpenetration of the parties in the situation of each other) provides an excellent opportunity to openly and honestly show all possible differences and major contradictions.

In the process of integration, the parties are distracted from the typical transition to personalities in such a situation, focusing precisely on a common goal, looking for difficult, but realistic, possibilities of resolution. Of course, an integrative way of resolving a conflict is rather difficult, and it is especially difficult to search for optimal solutions, but it is here that people get a great chance to show all their organizational and inventive talents.

In the process of integration in order not to lose the thread of the conversation and not deviate from the main one, it is necessary to concentrate as much as possible. If the participants are motivated and united by their mutual desire to achieve an optimal solution to the conflict, you can use the simple method. The main goals and wishes of one and the other are recorded on two separate sheets, then these indicators are compared, contradictions come to light, and then the search for possible solutions follows.

Thus, it becomes quite real to translate the conflict into a stream of useful constructive solutions and direct the energy of its participants to the necessary and useful channel. Of course, it is necessary to sit down at the negotiating table and draw up such a plan only when the first emotional passions and surges have subsided and the participants of the process came to the conclusion that the situation needs to be brought to a new level.

In the process of business communication, there may also arise peculiar obstacles due to which business communication becomes less productive and trusting. In the worst case, the occurrence of communicative barriers may lead to the cessation of contacts and the classical variant of a conflict situation, the solution of which depends exclusively on the parties involved in it. The main barriers are:

• Aesthetic. An obstacle to communication or unwillingness to communicate with a person in general may arise from an overly eccentric or unpresentable appearance. As you know, a person “is met according to his clothes, but only accompanied by the mind,” so if the first impression of him is spoiled, further contact can be very problematic. That is why in the business sphere and developed such a thing as a dress code, along with its standards, which literally "insures" people from the possibility of barriers due to aesthetic considerations. Also, the lack of cleanliness and order in the office can also cause aesthetic barrier, and if this happens, it will be very difficult to restore reputation.
• Intellectual. It is known that all people are very different in type and level of intellectual development. If there is a collision between people with different levels or types of intelligence, this can lead to insurmountable obstacles. To avoid this, heads of companies and organizations should conduct a more thorough selection of employees, choosing highly qualified specialists to become the main “players”, and beginners to train on the spot so that they eventually gain proper experience and not become outsiders.

• Motivational barriers - when one interlocutor is not interested in ideas expressed by another person. The interlocutor for him is just a means to achieve some personal or professional goal and as a full-fledged partner, he does not consider him in advance, in other words, he is simply not motivated to take him more seriously and completely.
• Moral barriers. These include those obstacles that a person cannot overcome, because one or another way and manner of communication for him are simply unacceptable. This may be a frank rudeness, a manifestation of dishonesty and meanness both among colleagues and with business partners. Also, psychological pressure from the head and demonstration on his part of obvious arrogance and superiority can also become a serious moral barrier. Such an approach to business is deliberately unconstructive, but, unfortunately, it occurs at enterprises very often.
• And finally, the barriers of the emotional plan. A person, due to the fact that he is experiencing very unpleasant emotions, is unable to give an adequate and rational assessment of this or that situation.

Thus, business communication is a whole art, which should be studied by those who have made a serious decision to delve into the issues of both individual entrepreneurship and the search for work in a large, stable company.Of course, in business and management it is not easy to work, because the issue of interpersonal relations will always be acute and constant, especially in crisis conditions, the arrival of which often causes financial collapses and conflicts between employees and partners.

The main thing is to study in more detail the different areas related to business communication, applying the knowledge gained in practice.

You can learn more about the intricacies of business communication in the following video.